Tom Collomosse: Gap to the top four has grown wider as Tottenham chase Champions League dream

Tough task: Mauricio Pochettino could struggle to compete with the biggest clubs GETTY

This is the season where Tottenham risk taking one step forward only to stumble two paces back.

The new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, should bring an exciting style of play to banish memories of the drudgery served up by Andre Villas-Boas, as well as introducing the tactical discipline that was lacking under Tim Sherwood.

Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen have pledged their futures to the club, Christian Eriksen looks certain to get better and better in his second season in English football while some of the signings who flopped last term, such as Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado, ought to produce improved performances this time around.

Yet here is the crux: will any of that be enough to lift Spurs into the top four, which is the aim of chairman Daniel Levy at the start of every season? Spurs might be in better shape than they were last term, but their rivals look to have pulled even further away from them.

While there is real cause for optimism at White Hart Lane, qualifying for the Champions League looks a harder task than at any time since Harry Redknapp led them to fourth in the 2009-10 campaign.

The uncomfortable possibility for Spurs is that they could fulfil their potential but still finish no higher than sixth or seventh. Tottenham’s big problem last season was their inability to match the best sides in the land.

That gap has probably grown wider, and as talented as Pochettino clearly is, there are doubts about whether he is ready to go toe to toe with Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, Manuel Pellegrini and Louis van Gaal.

Tottenham's summer signings

Tottenham's summer signings

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Michel Vorm: Goalkeeper

The Dutch international has been brought in to add further cover to No1 Hugo Lloris.
With 43-year-old Brad Friedel Tottenham's backup keeper last season, Vorm is a much-needed younger understudy to the France captain.

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Michel Vorm of Swansea gestures during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City at The Hawthorns on September 01, 2013 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty I

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Ben Davies: Left Back

He may lack the wow factor of Tottenham's signings from last summer, but in Ben Davies, Spurs finally have a top-drawer left back on their books.
Almost third of the price Manchester United paid for Luke Shaw, Davies was equally as impressive for Swansea as the former Southampton star.
At just 21-years of age, it's an astute piece of business by Mauricio Pochettino.

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3/3
Eric Dier: Centre Back

The England Under-21 international was brought in from Sporting, and like Vlad Chiriches, should be regarded as one for the future at White Hart Lane.
Uncertainty surrounds senior defenders Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul could see Dier feature more prominently that expected next season, but the man dubbed the 'new John Terry' is more likely to feature in the Europa League, where his experience of European football could prove invaluable as he looks to impress his new boss.

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Before taking the Spurs job, Pochettino’s only experience of top-level management in Europe was with Espanyol and Southampton. Will he be ready for the battles with the best?

More to the point, will his team be ready for the start of the season? Pochettino is still looking for someone to anchor his midfield – Morgan Schneiderlin, of Southampton, is the preferred choice, but Pochettino’s former club have so far refused to let him leave.

In the full-back positions, Kyle Walker is still working his way back to peak fitness and his deputy, Kyle Naughton, is unconvincing. Ben Davies has been signed from Swansea in the summer and will need to hit the ground running at left-back, where Danny Rose is the alternative.

Spurs could still do with a reliable central defensive partner for Jan Vertonghen. Michael Dawson is too slow, Younes Kaboul too injury-prone and Eric Dier too inexperienced after joining from Sporting Lisbon.

Spurs have a new 56,000 stadium on the way. Paying for it would be considerably easier if they could achieve Champions League football. Failure to do so would see Vertonghen, Lloris and Christian Eriksen consider their futures – and so the cycle begins again.

Pochettino might wonder what he could have done with the Gareth Bale money. He might wish he had been in charge a year earlier. But ahead of the toughest test of his short managerial career, the man born in Murphy cannot afford to be bitter.